In The CW series ‘In the Dark,’ Murphy Mason, a young woman played by Perry Mattfeld, is blind and lives a wild life of drinking and casual sex while avoiding responsibilities and life goals. As expected, portraying this complicated character was an easy feat for the actress.
During a phone interview with Collider in 2019, Mattfeld discussed various aspects of her role. When asked about the key challenges of portraying Murphy, the actress said:
“Right away, not only did I realize how much I didn’t know, but I also knew that I had a responsibility, playing a character with blindness. That was challenging enough, but what I found most challenging was just how difficult Murphy is. At times, she can be unlikeable. She’s bold, and she’s harsh.”
She continued, further explaining how she tried to make her character connect with the audience:
“And I needed to make sure that the audience has an intimate relationship with her, that not all of the other characters get to see. Who she really is and the genuineness in her soul, which is the reason that so many people love her; the audience needs to be able to see that, and they need to be able to root for her, love her, and grow with her.”
Perry lastly added:
“While it’s so enjoyable to watch her fail, we had to find that fine line of people wanting her to figure it out and learning to love her. That was something I had to fine-tune.”
In the rest of the conversation, the actress also said she became so familiar with Murphy’s character that she could predict how she would react or say in a scene, even without reading the script. She thinks what makes Murphy special is that she keeps revealing different aspects of herself in different situations. The show ended on September 5, 2022, after airing four seasons.